I realized something. Crew Dragon is insufficient to be able to do an ISS boost, but is sufficient for altitude control thrusters using its Draco thrusters. But you know what'd work really well? Fucking Dragon XL. It's basically got the same relative structure as Cygnus. It would have far more modern hardware onboard (basically on par or slightly inferior to what the Axiom station will eventually get); and it could be modified to have an integrated propulsion module. Even better, there's already plenty of knowledge of in-space fuel transfer for the ISS itself which can be implemented into this integrated propulsion module for Dragon XL so that it can be refueled over time to sustain itself and help with pushing the ISS back up into a higher orbit. Further, it has enough space on the outside to mount new-generation solar panels to further improve the solar power/footprint of the ISS, AND best of all, it would give NASA and SpaceX both an opportunity to vet the design and have it be used by the ISS crew to understand weaknesses/areas of improvements all before a Gen2 version is sent off to the gateway in the future.
All NASA has to do is accelerate the Dragon XL contract and request a CLIN amendment. Based on the new HULLO video, its understood that Cygnus will push the ISS up into a stable LEO orbit again and that will buy the station another 3-ish years before its orbit degrades to where its currently located. By that time, Dragon XL would more than likely be ready to fly on F9 or even FH up to ISS.
It's the perfect storm that allows NASA to completely excise the dumpster fire Russian modules and get hardware built in 2022 up to the ISS, AND gets NASA a feel for how the Axiom station modules will look and feel like. Hell, it might give the Axiom flight crew an idea of what a SpaceX "station" could look like and lead to a partnership between the two so that there's hardware integration cross-compatibility potential.
